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Mother’s Day [A More Inclusive Prayer]

Good and gracious God,

In the scriptures
we are reminded
of your abundance
of mothering qualities.
From eagles wings
which lift us up
to nursing mothers
which will not abandon us,
biblically,
we are assured
that you love us deeply.

Today, we pause to give thanks
for the deep love of mothers.

We give thanks for those
who’ve been a mother
in less traditional ways
as well.

From older siblings
in a motherless home
to
single fathers
raising children on their own,
we are thankful for the love
they each share,
for the way they each care,
and for the way they nurture
the children of the world.

At the same time,
we pause to remember,
those who struggle
with the role of mother.

And for those who
want nothing more
than to be a mother
but so far have not found
the path that is right for them.

And on this day
as a nation celebrates mothers,
we remember those who
cannot bring themselves
to celebrate
because their mothers
were less than motherly.
They were:
judgmental,
belittling,
violent,
abusive…
absent.

And we pray for those
who long for an embrace
from their mother
just one
more
time.

Loving God,
this day
as we reflect on
and give thanks for
mothers and mother figures
in our lives,
may we recognize
the reflection of you
in them
and then may we each
live into that reflection
not just with those
we choose to call family
but with each person
we meet.